Chinese New Year at Sovereign Hill!

February 25 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Join in the spectacle and exhilaration of an authentic Chinese New Year celebration, as Sovereign Hill, Victoria’s favourite outdoor museum, heralds in the Year of the Dog, one of the 12 animals that appear as part of the Chinese zodiac.

Sovereign Hill, together with the Chinese Australian Cultural Society Ballarat, will offer visitors the chance to participate in a traditional Chinese New Year celebration, with a range of activities taking place on Sunday 18th February and Sunday 25th February.

With a host of colourful, authentic celebrations, visitors can step back in time and experience what life was like for a Chinese person living on the goldfields as they welcome in this new year.

On 18th February only, visitors can enjoy a special Chinese Lion Dancing workshop, and at 10.45am at the Chinese Temple, lions, drums and a traditional Chinese ceremony will welcome in the Chinese New Year.

On both Sundays, the Chinese Dragon, Xin Long, and Chinese lions will dance and weave their way up Main Street at 1pm, filling the outdoor museum with colour, spectacle and celebration! Highlights this year that will take place on both Sundays include: Hands-on activities – Create your own Chinese paper dog, have your name written in Chinese characters, make a lucky money envelope and wish others good fortune, and watch a professional Chinese artist at work.

Located at the Horse Bazaar from 11am – 4pm. Chinese Camp Tour – Visit the Chinese camp and find out how Chinese diggers lived during the gold rushes. Twenty minute guided tours are available in English (11.30am and 2pm) and Chinese (11.50am and 2.50pm) at the Chinese Camp.

Chinese Performances – Discover the importance of the Chinese Year of the Dog and enjoy colourful performances of ribbon and fan dancing, as well as the sacred art of Tai Chi and other traditional Chinese entertainment. Victoria Theatre at 1.45pm Lion Dance Workshop – Find out about Chinese Lion Dancing, and even try to do it yourself!

Victoria Theatre, 12.30pm. Sunday 18th February only. Over at the Gold Museum (entry included in ticket to Sovereign Hill), visitors can place a wish at the Wishing Tree in the museum’s foyer, or colour and send a postcard to family and friends with good wishes for 2017.

The Gold Museum’s special exhibition ‘Reawakening the Dragon’ will be on display, showcasing the museum’s incredible Chinese processional and temple collections for the first time. Get up close with colourful costumes, exquisite silk textiles and Loong, the oldest Chinese dragon in Australia.

Visitors can also enjoy a floor talk, ‘Where has Australia’s oldest dragon Loong been the past 130 years?’ on both Sundays at 3.00pm.

Traditional music, Chinese calligraphy, and a Conservation Corner (where the collections team carefully clean the museum’s Chinese temple carvings) can also be enjoyed at the Gold Museum.